1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to skylights and methods for making skylights. More particularly, the present invention relates to commercial skylights but is not limited to that.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For years, the commercial skylight industry has offered relatively limited options for customers in terms of materials, aesthetics and performance. Their aging design has not kept up with rapidly evolving standards for energy efficiency, green building practices, and cost controls. New standards demand maximum daylighting benefits and a contribution to the overall energy efficiency of the building. Additionally, architects continually demand greater flexibility in aesthetics, materials and simplicity of design.
Traditional skylights are typically offered with glass or acrylic panels. They range in shape from plastic bubbles, to flat “single slope” rectangles, and a range of complex shapes including pyramids, polygons and ridges, and custom shapes. Current skylight systems are relatively similar from manufacturer to manufacturer making them difficult to differentiate. Typical construction relies on a grid of aluminum rafters, which limits viewable area, requires hundreds of parts and pieces, and reduces overall performance.
It is known in the field of skylights and other building areas where structural glass is a feature to use patch fittings as a way to secure adjacent pieces of glass together or to reinforce the perimeter or portions of the perimeter of the glass. Patch fittings comprise two pieces of metal or similar structural material joined together to sandwich the glass between them. Patch fittings that currently exist join the two metal pieces together around the glass piece with a bolt or screw and may include a gasket on the interior surfaces to space the metal from the glass. It is also known in the field of skylights that have an apex to use an apex cap to conceal the intersection where multiple pieces of glass come together. The apex cap may be metal or other material but is essentially a decorative item rather than a structural item. The apex cap may be useful to minimize moisture intrusion through the skylight. It is believed that there is no apex cover for a skylight that is also a structural member to support and/or constrain glass pieces of the skylight. In other words, there is currently no “apex patch fitting.”
What is needed is a skylight system that can be made in a variety of configurations with suitable structural integrity and minimal visual obstruction. Further, what is needed is a skylight system that is relatively easy to make and can be made with a minimum number of parts. Further, what is needed is a method of making a skylight in place and components and instructions to create such skylights.